OK, so they’re not really bagels. They’re a much healthier substitute for bagels.
Once you’ve been living a Paleo lifestyle for a while, it gets really easy to substitute healthy food for all the really tasty, but not so healthy, foods we grew up eating.
My Bagel History
Bagels used to make a regular appearance in our house when I was growing up. When you’ve got a Jewish parent in the family, that’ll do it for ya. ;)
Whenever my dad would visit my Grandma in the city, he would always stop at New York Bagel and Bialy to pickup a bag full of fresh baked bagels, bialys and lox along with assorted cream cheese spreads. Writing this right now I can distinctly smell the fresh baked, soft Everything bagel. I’m not going to lie, for a large part of my life I truly enjoyed these foods.
The thing is, once I removed bagels, bialys and all bread-based foods from my diet, I didn’t run screaming through the streets. I didn’t really miss them. Vegetables always make for an easy substitution. They’re versatile, and they’re really good for you (much better than those “healthy” whole grains the media is always trying to push on us).
For these bagel bites, using cucumbers just make sense. Who doesn’t love a classic cucumber sandwich with cream cheese? Or smoked salmon with cream cheese? Now you can have both and avoid the bread, making these Paleo Bagel Bites convenient and delicious.
Dairy or Not?
Of course, if you don’t do dairy, you can always leave the cream cheese off these Paleo Bagel Bites. The other ingredients pack enough flavor all on their own that with or without the cream cheese, this healthy snack is sure to be a hit at your next party. Or if you don’t feel like sharing, they can be a hit the next time you want a quick and easy meal.
